The document summarizes a presentation on research challenges in networked systems. It discusses recommendations from an evaluation of ICT research in Norway, including better aligning research with industry needs. It looks back at topics from 2000 like wireless sensor networks and voice over IP. Potential future areas discussed include cloud computing, cyber-physical systems, smart grids, and security. The presentation calls for more experimental research, collaboration, and evaluation to address open challenges in these emerging areas.

1. The 5th VERDIKT Conference
Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Torsten Braun
Research Group “Communications and Distributed Systems”
Institute of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics
Universität Bern

2. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Overview
> Recommendations from Evaluation of ICT Research in Norway
> Looking Back: Topics in the Year 2000
> Future Research Topics and Challenges
> Remarks on Research Organization
> ICT in EU Horizon 2020
> Conclusions
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3. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Statements about the Future I
> It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.
(Karl Valentin, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr etc.)
> Most technologies that will be used widely in 5-10 years
are already existing in a lab today.
We just do not know which of them will be successful.
(Paul Kühn, KiVS Conference 1999)
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4. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Evaluation of ICT Research in Norway
Recommendations:
“Research areas are often fragmented and
not well aligned with Norwegian industry.
A bottom-up «free academic»
approach is dominating ….
Although the outcome of this funding
is not bad, coordination is lacking ….
An obvious strategic area is ICT in life
sciences, but also industrial robotics in
dangerous environments such as
off-shore, and cyber‐security.
ICT in Energy and Power Engineering
also seems also an obvious strategic
research area of national interest.”
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5. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Networked Systems
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6. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Looking Back: ToCs in the Year 2000
> Wireless sensor networks > Software defined radio
and multi-sensor data fusion > Programmable networks
> Denial of service and > Voice over IP
intrusion detection > Mobile ad-hoc networks
> Internet-connected robots > Beyond 3G mobile networks
> Ubiquitous computing
> Mobile agents
> E-commerce
> Digital libraries
> Web services
> Multimedia over ATM
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7. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Potential Future Research Areas in
Networked Systems
Cyber-
Smart
Physical
Grids
Energy- Cloud Systems
Efficiency Computing
Software- Future
Defined Internet
Communi- Partici-
cations patory/
Security
Opportunistic
Sensing
Cognitive Federated
Networks Social
Networks
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8. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Energy Consumption by
Communications and Computing
> ICT already consumes approximately 2 % of energy,
which is similar to air traffic. Trend is increasing.
> Approximately 10 % of ICT energy consumption by mobile
communications (mainly base stations and mobile devices)
> LTE is even more energy consuming due to complex signal
processing (MIMO, OFDM, etc.) than 3G.
> Trade-off between performance and energy consumption
(→ optimization using power models, heuristics, and
analytical techniques)
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9. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Energy-Efficient
Communications and Computing
> More energy-efficient hardware,
e.g., µPs, storage
> Protocols and mechanisms
(e.g., packet scheduling and
aggregation, disruption-tolerant networks)
to switch off systems / components or
enable low power states; smaller cells,
relaying, directed transmissions, etc.
> Energy-aware systems
> Cross-layer mechanisms from
applications to physical layer
> Cloud computing
(communication vs. computing)
> Distributed processing and
process migration
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10. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Cloud Computing: Problems
> Long delay between users and cloud computing infrastructure
> Cloud computing assumes permanently connected (mobile)
devices and heavy communications.
> Processing and storage of sensitive data
> Availability and robustness
> High energy costs for data centres, in particular cooling
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11. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Cloud Computing: Challenges
> Use data centres close to user, data might follow mobile users
> Virtualization / isolation of computer and network resources
> Disruption-tolerant mechanisms and protocols
for cloud computing
> Privacy and trust mechanisms
> Protection against
denial-of-service attacks
> Replication vs. consistency
> Green data centres
> …
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12. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Software-Defined Communications
More and more functions previously implemented in hardware
or special-purpose devices will be implemented in software on
general-purpose computers, e.g.,
> Software-Defined Radio
— High flexibility in terms of frequencies and
protocols, cf. cognitive radio/networks,
although energy consumption could be an issue
— Future wireless systems might process even
physical and medium access layers in software
— Signal and protocol processing in the cloud allow
global mobile telecommunication networks.
> Software-Defined Networks
— control network devices (routers, switches, access points)
via open APIs from external control plane software, e.g., OpenFlow
— could simplify network configuration, e.g., in home networks
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13. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Cognitive Networks
> Cognitive Radio
— Flexible adaptation to unused frequencies to better exploit
the frequency spectrum (higher bandwidth and reliability)
> Generalization → Cognitive Networks
— Application of cognitive radio approach Orient
to higher protocol layers
— Full parameterization of protocols
based on learning and
intelligent algorithms Observe Learn Decide
— Generation of tailored /
customized software
based on protocol descriptions
Environment Act
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14. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Smart Grids
> Automatic and distributed monitoring and control/adaptation of
energy consumption, production, storage, distribution, pricing
based on
— accurate usage measurements by metering devices / sensors
— interconnection of all components of the electricity grid
(sensors, control elements, actors)
> Most electricity networks have
not been designed for asymmetric
and varying flow of energy and
information.
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15. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Smart Grids: Challenges
> Intelligent, distributed, automated control and coordination
possibly based on processing large amount of data, learning,
and prediction
> Heterogeneous, adaptive, reliable, secure, self-managing
networks
> Secure systems and networks
(privacy, authentication,
intrusion detection, etc.)
> …
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16. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Cyber-Physical Systems
> Control / Computing Co-Design
> actor/sensor networks & robots
integrated into physical world
> have typically
real-time requirements
> might use distributed /
high-performance /
cloud computing infrastructures
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17. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Cyber-Physical Systems:
Application Examples
> Critical infrastructures:
power grid, transportation
> Traffic management
> Manufacturing
> Teams of (mobile)
autonomous robots
> Building control
> Medical care
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18. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Cyber-Physical Systems: Challenges
> Distributed real-time systems and control processing
> Robustness
> Communications and interoperability between
systems and devices
> Security of systems and devices
(confidentiality, data and service integrity),
in particular to prevent attacks on control systems
> Machine-to-machine communication (→ security)
> Mobile CPS
> …
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19. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Participatory and Opportunistic Sensing
> Motivation: Mobile end systems, cars etc. with several sensors
> Approach: Exploit
— sensors, storage and processing capabilities of mobile end systems
— mobility of users
for sensing instead of deploying huge amount of static sensors.
> Application Examples
— Environmental monitoring
— Traffic monitoring
and management
> Challenges
— Feature extraction
and data fusion
— Reliability, authenticity
and accuracy of data
— Privacy
— Incentives for and
coordination of users
— Relations to social networking, e.g., tagging of events
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20. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Federated Social Networks
> Today: centralized social network architectures
— Social network provider knows all data about users and their relations
— Disadvantages of central solutions, e.g., robustness, security
> Tomorrow (?): distributed/federated social network architecture require
— Open protocols and APIs, standardized data formats
— Federated authentication and authorization, access control
— Distributed storage
— Mechanisms to search distributed information
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21. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Future Internet
> The current Internet is based on principles
of the 1960s with the main purpose to
interconnect large computers.
Issues such as mobility, security, multimedia
had lower importance.
> Today, Internet users are mainly interested in
retrieving content and accessing services.
> Increasing bandwidth demand due to
— (personalized) multimedia data streams
— Cloud computing and storage,
visualization on (mobile / high-resolution) end systems
— Huge amounts of data from measurements and scientific experiments
— Internet of Things, Internet of Services, …
> New approaches, e.g., Information-Centric Networking,
need more research, development, testing etc.
> World-wide Future Internet research programs, e.g., GENI, FIRE
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22. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Security
> Internet infrastructure security, e.g., DNS, routing
> Security in new network paradigms, e.g., Future Internet
> System security
> Application security
> Cloud computing security
> Usability and security
> Network forensics vs. privacy
> Machine-to-machine communication,
smart grids, CPS
> Federated social networks
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23. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Remarks on Research Organization
> Experimental research
— Increasing importance of evaluation in testbeds,
e.g., sensor network conferences
— shared research infrastructures and
repositories for results to
– save costs
– support comparability / repeatability of results
> Collaboration
— High quality research benefits from joint research
activities with a critical mass of persons.
– Example: ACM EuroSys 2012
– Average number of authors of accepted papers: 4.37
– Average number of authors of rejected papers: 2.87
— But avoid massive coordination overhead and free riding
> Evaluation
— Articles in CS conferences with low acceptance rates (15-30 %)
have often more impact than most journals.
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24. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
ICT in EU Horizon 2020
> New generation of components and systems including
micro/nano-electronics and photonics technologies,
components and embedded systems engineering
> Next generation computing,
advanced computing systems
and technologies
> Infrastructures, technologies and
services for the future Internet
> Content technologies and
information management including
ICT for digital content and creativity.
> Advanced interfaces and robots and
robotics and smart spaces
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25. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Conclusions
> Increasing importance of software,
also in control and communication technology,
possibly using cognitive approaches
> Security issues everywhere
> Energy efficiency as a grand challenge
> Complexity requires (interdisciplinary) research collaboration
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26. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Statements about the Future II
> The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
(Alan Kay)
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27. Torsten Braun: Research Challenges in Networked Systems
Thanks for your attention !
> Contact
— braun@iam.unibe.ch
— http://cds.unibe.ch
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